Britain
Cruiser Tank (Comet A34)
Ordnance classification - A34

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The Cruiser Tank was designed in 1944, manufactured by Leyland Motors based on the existing fully tracked Cromwell and was in use from 1945 to 1965.

General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1945 - 1965 Ordnance classification A34 Quantity Produced 1186 Weight 32.5 tonne Crew 5 M.G's small 2 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 7.72 mtr Width 3.08 mtr Height 2.69 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 29 mph Max Cross Country Speed 15 mph Range Road 123 miles Range Cross Country 49 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity 139 gal Horse Power 600 hp Power/Weight 18 hp/tonne General Information The Cruiser Tank was designed in 1944, manufactured by Leyland Motors based on the existing fully tracked Cromwell and was in use from 1945 to 1965. The vehicle was powered by Rolls Royce 'Meteor V12' petrol powerplant producing 600 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 29 mph with a range of about 123 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 15 mph and a range of about 49 miles. It was armed with 2 light machine guns which were BESA Machine Gun 7.92mms. Its main armament consisted of an Ordnance Q.F. 77mm 3inch which could penetrate 125 mm of flat plate at 800 metres The Comet was a redesigned Cromwell which could to take the full 17pdr AT gun, this failed so a cut down 17pdr - the 77mm was fitted. The Cromwell chassis had to be extended and widened to take the new turret. Armour Details Turret Front 102mm @ 0° (102mm) Side 64mm @ 0° (64mm) Rear 57mm @ 0° (57mm) Top 25mm @ 90° (25mm) Superstructure Front 76mm @ 0° (76mm) Side 29mm @ 0° (29mm) Rear 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Top 14mm @ 90° (14mm) Hull Front 64mm @ 0° (64mm) Side 14mm @ 0° (14mm) Rear 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Top 20mm @ 90° (20mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 102 mm - Minimum 20 mm

Weapon Details BESA Machine Gun 7.92mm (Machine Gun) x 2 History Developed by BSA from the Czechoslovak ZB vz.53 heavy machine gun which used the German 7.92×57mm Mauser ammunition. It was mostly used as the main armament of the Light Tank Mk VIC and Armoured cars such as the Humber Mk I to Mk III. This 7.92mm gun was used in the armoured divisions as their supply lines were separated from the infantry who used .303 bullets. Once the British started capturing German ammunition this could be immediately used in these tank machine guns. Manufactured 1939 - 1966 Calibre 7.92mm Length L/93 Rate of Fire 450 rpm Number of Rounds  5175     Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content Cartridge SA, 7.92 (AP Standard Small Arms) 7.92mm 0.011Kg 785M/Sec Quoted Penetration 11mm @ 1000mtr/0° Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.16 0.37 1.1 Penetration(mm@30°) 10 8 5 Penetration(mm@0°) 12 10 6 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 Cartridge SA, 7.92 (BALL Standard Small Arms) 7.92mm 0.012Kg 785M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.15 Penetration(mm@30°) 2 Penetration(mm@0°) 3 Hit Probability(%) 98 Weapon Details Ordnance Q.F. 77mm 3inch (Anti Tank Gun) History This was a slightly shortened 17pdr which was designed for Tank use which appeared to be more accurate at longer ranges. Manufactured unknown - 1945 Calibre 76.20mm   Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content AP (AP Armor Piercing) 76.20mm 7.65Kg 792M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.26 0.53 1.13 1.8 2.56 3.42 4.42 Penetration(mm@30°) 144 134 122 108 94 81 70 58 Penetration(mm@0°) 167 155 142 125 109 94 81 68 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 96 77 44 25 15

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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Page Last Updated: 2023-01-11 17:18:37